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Bosnia's bid to form a new govt fails over divisions on NATO

Published Tue Aug 20 2019 12:57:29 GMT+0000 (UTC)

by By ELDAR EMRIC

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The three members of Bosnia's multi-ethnic presidency failed on Tuesday to break a 10-month deadlock on forming a new government amid deep divisions over the Balkan country's bid to join NATO.

A meeting between Bosnia's Muslim, Serb and Croat leaders ended without an agreement because the Bosnian Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, was against a package that would also include adopting a plan that would move Bosnia closer to NATO membership.

"As long as I'm a member (of the presidency) there will be no vote on ANP," Dodik said, referring to NATO's proposed Annual National Plan that lists a set of reforms a country has to make to eventually become a member.

"We were loud and clear, we will not vote for ANP and the next time they put it on the agenda we will again not vote for it," said Dodik, a staunch pro-Russian who has been supporting the Kremlin's bid to prevent NATO expansion in the Balkans.

The Muslim member of the presidency, Sefik Dzaferovic, said that the "cause of all problems that we face today are unilateral attempts (by Dodik) to halt Bosnia's road toward NATO."

"No one has the right to do that," Dzaferovic said, calling Dodik's actions "illegitimate" and contrary to the rule of law.

The divisions within Bosnia reflect a mounting conflict between the West and Russia over the future of the Balkans. While the West wishes to see the still-volatile region that went through a bloody war in the 1990s reform and eventually join the EU and NATO, Russia has used its historic ties with Serbs to undermine this idea.

After another Balkan historical ally, Montenegro, turned its back on Moscow and joined NATO in 2017, Serbia and the Serb-run Republika Srpska in Bosnia are the only allies of the Kremlin in the region.

Disagreements between Bosnia's Serbs and the other two ethnic groups over Bosnia's future relations with NATO could plunge the country even deeper into crisis and further exacerbate ethnic divisions.

Another meeting of the presidency to discuss a new government has not been set.

"We could not reach an agreement over this issue (NATO) and it has been agreed that we don't vote on this today and that we completely remove this topic from the agenda for now," the Bosnian Croat member of the presidency, Zeljko Komsic, said.

Muslim member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency Sefik Dzaferovic attends a meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. A meeting Tuesday between Bosnia's Muslim, Serb and Croat leaders ended without an agreement on forming the new cabinet because the Bosnian Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, was against a package that would also include adopting an action plan that would move Bosnia closer to NATO membership. (Harun Muminovic/FENA via AP)FILE - In this file photo taken Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, chairman and Serb member of the tripartite Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Dodik speaks during a press conference in Belgrade, Serbia. Last year's general vote in Bosnia mainly saw nationalist parties and politicians from the three rival ethnic groups win most votes and they are scheduled to meet Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, to try to break a deadlock on forming a new government, more than ten months after the general election in October. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, FILE)Members of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Muslim member Sefik Dzaferovic, left, Croat member Zeljko Komsic and Bosnian Serb member Milorad Dodik, right, speak during a meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. A meeting Tuesday between Bosnia's Muslim, Serb and Croat leaders ended without an agreement on forming the new cabinet because the Bosnian Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, was against a package that would also include adopting an action plan that would move Bosnia closer to NATO membership. (Harun Muminovic/FENA via AP)Croat member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency Zeljko Komsic attends a meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. A meeting Tuesday between Bosnia's Muslim, Serb and Croat leaders ended without an agreement on forming the new cabinet because the Bosnian Serb member of the presidency, Milorad Dodik, was against a package that would also include adopting an action plan that would move Bosnia closer to NATO membership. (Harun Muminovic/FENA via AP)